Girl&#39;s Undergarment For Providing Comfort and Ensuring Modesty

ABSTRACT

An undergarment for a girl includes a center panel sub-assembly formed from two pieces, an inner center panel and an outer center panel, both having the same general outline in shape. Both the inner center panel and the outer center panel are each cut as a single piece for comfort and do not have a seam in a crotch portion. The center panel sub-assembly is stitched to a right leg component and left leg component, and which are then all in turn stitched to a waistband. The inner center panel in one embodiment is made from a cotton fabric for comfort. The outer center panel in one embodiment is made from a cotton/spandex blend to facilitate a snug fit of the undergarment. The leg components are characterized in one embodiment as extending below the crotch to ensure that modesty is maintained in various positions while wearing the undergarment.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to children's undergarments,and more specifically, to a girl's lower-body undergarment that providescomfort and ensures modesty.

BACKGROUND

Undergarments worn by young children, such as in the age group ofapproximately 2 through 10, must address certain aspects that are uniqueto children. First, the skin of a child can be particularly sensitiveand delicate as compared to adults. Children may find the touch ofcertain fabrics irritating, as well as the construction of theundergarment itself, when worn. Even the attachment and fabric of alabel attached to the undergarment can cause discomfort to a child.Construction techniques and fabrics that are suitable for an adultundergarment, and which may not even be noticed by an adult, much lessfound to be irritating, may be unacceptable and feel very uncomfortableto a child. Thus, additional care and thought must be given to thestructure, fabric, stitching, and labels of a child's undergarment.

The fit of the undergarment is also important, since children are likelyto adjust the position of the undergarment (e.g., by pulling or tuggingon the undergarment) more so than adults, especially if the undergarmentis in any way uncomfortable. Pulling or tugging can distort the shape ofthe undergarment and result the undergarment fitting even more poorly.For example, the crease of skin where the leg and the torso meet can beparticularly sensitive for a child, and a tight fitting cuff in a pantyrubbing the skin in this area can be particularly irritating to a child.A likely response is to repeatedly tug at the undergarment in that areain an attempt to loosen the fit. Typically, this results in distortingthe fabric in the area of the leg opening, resulting in worsening thefit even more.

Compounding the problem is that children in this age group may not befully aware of societal norms of modesty. This self-awareness of modestyusually increases with age. Thus, it is not uncommon for mothers ofyoung girls, particularly in the age group of 2 to 5 years, to remindtheir daughters how to sit in public or position themselves duringplaytime when wearing dresses so that their undergarments are notreadily viewable by others. Oftentimes poorly fitting panties may resultin exposing more than is desired by the parents, resulting in aso-called “immodesty incident,” which may not be recognized by the childwearing the undergarment.

To avoid such embarrassment, mothers may dress their daughters in shortpants that are worn under a skirt or a dress. Wearing pants avoids anypossibility of an immodesty incident, but wearing this combination canbe bulky for the child, since underpants may still be required under theshort pants, which are then worn under a skirt or dress. Furthermore,wearing these multiple layers of clothing can become quite hot when wornoutside on a summer day. Finally, the pants may have pockets and otherseams that increase discomfort.

Thus, there is a need for comfortable, lower-body undergarments for girltoddlers that provides modesty, stays in place, is comfortable, and iscool. It is with these and other considerations that the concepts andtechnologies herein are disclosed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention in its various embodiments addresses the aboveproblems by providing in certain embodiments an undergarment for thelower body of a girl toddler and a method for making the undergarment.The undergarment, in one embodiment, is characterized as having a centerpanel comprising an inner center panel and an outer center panel, whichare joined together along for at least for a portion of the perimeter,and is positioned front-to-back when worn. The inner center panel is incontact with the skin when worn. The outer center panel is in contactwith the outer garment, which may be a dress. The center panel is seamedto two leg portions and an elastic waistband. The center panel does nothave any lateral seam in the crotch area, as is found in otherundergarments, and the absence of such seam contributes to the comfortof the undergarment.

In one embodiment, the inner center panel is constructed of 100% cottonmaterial or at least 90% cotton, preferably a cotton weave or knit,which is absorbent, promotes hygiene, and provides comfort. The outercenter panel is constructed of a cotton blend of spandex, and may be ablend of 97% cotton and 3% spandex (denoted herein as a “97/3” blend.)In other embodiments, the cotton/spandex blend may be 85/15 reflecting ahigher spandex content. In other embodiments, the cotton/spandex blendmay be 95/5.

In another embodiment, the undergarment is constructed to have legportions that extend down at least ½″ from the crotch. The leg portionsmay be constructed of the same type of material as the outer panel,namely a cotton blend of spandex, which, in one embodiment, may have thesame ratio of cotton/spandex. In another embodiment, the bottom of eachrespective leg portion is finished with a seamed cuff. In otherembodiments, a decorative cuff or elastic band may be seamed to thebottom of each leg portion in lieu of a seamed cuff. In otherembodiments, lace or other decorative fabric may be stitched to thebottom of the leg with or in lieu of a seamed cuff.

The undergarment in accordance with the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention overcomes the drawbacks of prior girl's underpants orpanties by providing a comfortable undergarment that maintains modesty,fit, and comfort, regardless of how active the girls is.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the inventionwill become more apparent from the following description of certainpreferred embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front of the undergarment as itwould appear when worn;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the undergarment;

FIG. 3 is a back view of the undergarment;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a center panel assembly comprising aninner panel and an outer panel prior to being seamed together; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a leg portion prior to being stitched toother components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention, however, may be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

An undergarment for girls between 1-10 years of age, is illustrated inFIG. 1. Although the preferred embodiment is targeted for girls in thisage group, nothing prevents the principles and concepts being applied tofemales of other age groups, including teenagers, young adults, and evenadult women.

Conventional undergarments suffer from several deficiencies that cancause discomfort, poor fit, and so-called “immodesty incidents” wheremore of the wearer's anatomy is exposed than is intended. A firstdeficiency is that conventional undergarments may use a single fabric.This may be a natural fiber, such as cotton, which can be stretched anddistorted if repeatedly pulled. Chafing at the leg openings of a pantyand rubbing by seams or tags on the skin may cause discomfort. This canlead to pulling or tugging of the undergarment by the wearer in anattempt to alleviate the discomfort. A further cause of discomfort maybe the presence of seams in the crotch area that may also lead topulling or tugging of the undergarment. One solution in conventionalundergarments is to use a cotton/spandex blend of fabric. While doing somay contribute to a better fit, the fabric itself may be lesscomfortable or hygienic as compared to using a natural fiber, such as100% cotton.

The undergarment disclosed herein addresses these problems in severalways. One way is by its construction. The undergarment comprises fivemain components: 1) an inner panel and 2) an outer panel; 3) a right legcomponent; 4) a left leg component; and 5) a waistband. The inner paneland the outer panel form a center panel assembly, and so theundergarment may be alternatively described as having four maincomponents, where one of the components (the center panel assembly) ismade up of two sub-components (the inner panel and the outer panel).When worn, the center panel is positioned so that it is draped from thefront to the back, and between the legs. Note that in other embodiments,additional components may be added, such as, e.g., decorative laceedging at the bottom of the leg components or other fabric forming acuff at the bottom of the legs.

Turning to FIG. 1, a perspective drawing of the undergarment 100 isshown. The undergarment is viewed from the front and hence the left legcomponent 130 appears on the right side of the drawing. The right legcomponent 140 in a preferred embodiment is symmetrical with respect tothe left leg component 130.

The center panel 120 is shown seamed to the left leg 130 and the rightleg 140. The center panel is an assembly that comprises two pieces thatare seamed to each other. The center panel assembly is draped, so tospeak, from the front of the wearer to the back when worn. If the centerpanel were laid flat by itself, it would have in one embodiment, anhour-glass like shape, with a narrow portion in the middle,corresponding to the portion positioned in the crotch area when worn.The center panel 120 is constructed of two co-incident panels, an outerpanel 124 and an inner panel 126. Each of these panels is single pieceof fabric cut from a respective larger piece, so that there is no seam(referred to herein as a “crotch seam”) traversely (e.g., side-to-side)positioned at the narrow portion, near the crotch (as found inconventional undergarments). Such a crotch seam can be irritating,especially when sitting. Reference to the outer panel refers to thepanel visible when the garment is worn, and the inner panel is the paneltouching the skin of the wearer.

The seams of the center panel itself (e.g., the inner panel and outerpanel), as well as the seams of the center panel with the leg componentsemploys flat seams that do not stand up, and hence would causediscomfort. Rather, the flat seams present a low profile and serve tominimize any bulging and hence discomfort when worn.

Each of the outer panel 124 and the inner panel 126 has a front and aback, as well as an inner side and an outer side. The inner side is theside facing the wearer and the outer side is the side facing away. Inthe illustration of FIG. 1, the front of the outer panel 124 is visibleand a portion of the inner panel 126 on the back portion is visible. Theportion of the inner panel 126 that is visible in FIG. 1 is the backside of the inner panel, and which is the outer side. The inner side ofthe outer panel 124 is in contact the outer side of the inner panel 126,and neither is generally visible. The inner side of the inner panel isin contact with the skin of the wearer, and finally, the outer side ofthe outer panel is visible when worn. Reference to the “top frontportion” or “top front section” of the center panel refers to theportion of the center panel positioned on the front side of the wearer,near the waist area, which is where the waistband is positioned.Similarly, the “top back portion” or “top back section” refers to thearea of the panel on the backside of the wearer, also near the waistarea.

The center panel 120, the left leg component 130, and the right legcomponent 140 may be seamed to a waistband 105. In one embodiment, thewaistband 105 is an elastic waistband. In certain embodiments, thewaistband may be elastic that is sewn to the center panel and legcomponents. This may be sewn using a zigzag, lapped seam, blanketstitch, feather stitch, or other stitches known to those skilled in theart. In other embodiments, fabric may be lapped over the elastic andstitched to the remainder of the assembly.

Finally, the bottom of each leg may have a cuff, band, or welt seam.Elastic may or may not be incorporated at the bottom of each leg. In oneembodiment, the cuff may comprise fabric of the leg component lappedover the elastic and stitched.

The problems of the prior art may also be addressed not only by theconstruction of the undergarment, but also by the type of fabric used.The left leg component 130, the right leg component 140, and the outerpanel 124 may be made from the same type of fabric. In a preferredembodiment, these components are made from a cotton/spandex blend. Inone embodiment, the cotton/spandex ratios may be as low as 99/1 and ashigh as 85/15. Incorporation of some spandex, such as Lycra®, provides adegree of stretchiness to the outer shell of the undergarment. Thisfacilities the undergarment fitting snugly to the child's torso andfacilitates the garment staying in position. Further, a snug fit alongwith the construction of the undergarment contributes to maintainingprivacy even when the child is playing or sitting in what could bedescribed as an immodest position.

Turning to FIG. 2, a front view of the garment 100 is shown. This viewillustrates a width labeled as W₁ 202 across the top of the center panelalong the portion where it is seamed to the waistband 105. In oneembodiment, the width W₁ may be at least half of the overall width of W₂204. In a preferred embodiment, the width W₁ 202 is more than one halfand less than three-quarters of the overall width W₂. In variousembodiments, the front side seams of the center panel 205 a, 205 b maybe cut to be straight or curved. If curved, the seam may be convex orconcave. In a preferred embodiment, the front left side seam 205 b issymmetric to the front right side seam 205 a. Various styles andvariations are possible with respect to the shape of the front portionof the center panel and the associated side seams.

FIG. 2 also illustrates the relative length 204 of the right legcomponent 140 and left leg component 130. In a preferred embodiment, therelative length 204 of the left leg component 140 is equal to that ofthe right leg component 130. The length 204 may extend at least ½″ or ¾″down from the crotch, or in other embodiments, may extend severalinches, including down to the mid-thigh area. This length is sufficientenough that modesty is maintained by the wearer, even in variouspositions. Further, by extending the cuff beyond the crotch, if thewearer does tug or pull at the cuffs, modesty is still maintained. Thusby extending the leg portion below the crotch, modesty is ensuredregardless of the position of the wearer, and is not affected by anypulling or tugging of the undergarment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a back view of the garment. In this view, there arecorresponding left and right side seams of the center panel 305 a, 305b. Because this is a view from the back, the left side seam 305 a isshown on the left side of the figure, and the right side seam 305 b ison the right side of the figure. Depending on the shape of the centerpanel on the backside, these side seams may appear to be straight orcurved when the undergarment is worn. If the seams are curved, the curvemay be convex or concave in shape. It is not required that the shape ofthe front side seams 205 a, 205 b in FIG. 2 mirror or match the shape ofthe back side seams 305 a, 305 b. In some embodiments, the front sideseams may be straight, while the back side seams may have a more curvedshape.

The width W₃ 320 of the top of the back center panel is typicallygreater than the width of the front center panel W₁ 202. In someembodiments, this width may be the same. In other embodiments, the backwidth W₃ 320 is wider and facilitates determining which side of theundergarment is the front versus the back. Stated another way, the fronttop portion of the front center panel is narrower than the back topportion of the center panel. Thus, holding the undergarment up by thesides allows easy visual inspection to determine which side is thefront. This arrangement can aid the wearer to know if they are wearingthe undergarment properly.

In some embodiments, a label may be present on the inside back of thewaistband seam, as is placed in conventional undergarments, which canalso facilitates locating the back portion. However, since labels can beirritating to little children, the label may be placed elsewhere orremoved by the purchaser, so that determining the front or the back isaccomplished by ascertaining the relative widths of the top center panelseam.

Turning to FIG. 4, an exploded view of the center panel is shown. Theinner panel 126 is the panel that may be made from a natural fiber suchas 100% cotton (without any spandex), and the outer panel 124 may bemade from a fabric with a cotton/spandex blend. As illustrated, thefront width W₁ 202 is typically, but not necessarily, narrower than theback width W₃ 320.

As evident from FIG. 4, the center panel assembly is made from twopieces that have an hourglass shape. The narrow portion 402 of eachpanel, which is near the crotch area and in the middle of each panel, ischaracterized in the absence of any seam. That is, each center panelcomponent is cut as a single piece of the respective fabric type, andthere is no seam near the crotch that joins sub-components, as may befound in the prior art. The absence of a seam in the crotch areacontributes to comfort and wearability of the undergarment.

In manufacturing the undergarment, various orders of assembly of thecomponent are possible. In one embodiment, the leg components may beformed first. Turning to FIG. 5, a completed leg component 500 is shown.Depending on the embodiment, the right and left leg components may besymmetrical. Thus, FIG. 5 can represent both a right leg component and aleft leg component. In other embodiments, they may not be as fullysymmetrical, as this is dependent, in part, on the size and shape of thecenter panel component. Returning back to FIG. 5, the basic tubularstructure of the leg component may be formed first, which involvesstitching an inner side seam 502. After the particular leg component isformed, the leg cuff of the leg component may be formed, which involvesforming the leg cuff seam 504. This may involve stitching an elasticband, lace, decorative fabric, or folding over the material over elasticand stitching the fabric to itself.

After the respective leg and right leg components are formed, the centerpanel assembly may be formed. This comprises stitching the two panelstogether. The edges of the two panels may be bound together by serving,in one embodiment, to form the center panel assembly. Then, the centerpanel assembly may be stitched with the respective left and right legcomponents. Finally, this subassembly, comprising the center panel andleg components may be seamed with the waistband. In other embodiments,the order of assembly may be different. For example, leg cuffs may beformed and then the waistband is attached.

Many modification and other embodiments of the invention will come tomind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains havingthe benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description andthe associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that theinvention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed andthat modifications and other embodiments are intended to be within thescope of the claims herein. Although specific terms are employed herein,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes oflimitation.

1.-15. (canceled)
 16. An undergarment for a girl, comprising: a firstleg portion formed from a fabric comprising a blend of cotton andspandex; a second leg portion formed from the fabric comprising theblend of cotton and spandex; a center panel assembly comprising an innercenter panel and an outer center panel, wherein the inner center panelhas a same shape as the outer center panel, the inner center panelformed from a natural fiber fabric without any spandex and the outercenter panel formed from the fabric comprising the blend of cotton andspandex; and a waistband seamed to the first leg portion, the second legportion, and a portion of the center panel assembly.
 17. Theundergarment of claim 16, wherein the first leg portion and the secondleg portion extend at least one-half inch beyond a crotch area of thecenter panel assembly.
 18. The undergarment of claim 17, wherein thefirst leg portion and the second leg portion comprise a cuff formed froma lapped seam.
 19. The undergarment of claim 16, wherein the centerpanel assembly comprises a front top portion seamed to the waistband anda back top portion seamed to the waistband, wherein the front topportion is narrower than the back top portion.
 20. The undergarment ofclaim 16, wherein the inner center panel is formed from a single pieceof the natural fiber fabric, wherein the natural fiber fabric comprises100% cotton.
 21. An undergarment for a girl, comprising: a first legcomponent comprising a first single piece of a knit fabric comprising ablend of cotton and spandex, with a first seam on the inner side of thefirst leg component; a second leg component comprising a second singlepiece of the knit fabric comprising the blend of cotton and spandex,with a second seam on the inner side of the second leg component; acenter panel assembly comprising an inner center panel and an outercenter panel, wherein the inner center panel has a same shape as theouter center panel, wherein the inner center panel comprises a firstsingle piece of natural fiber knit fabric without any spandex and theouter center panel comprises a third single piece of the knit fabriccomprising the blend of cotton and spandex, wherein a front top portionof the center panel assembly is narrower in width than a back topportion of the center panel assembly, and wherein the center panelassembly comprises an hour-glass like shape, wherein a first seam joinsthe first leg component to the center panel component contiguously onone side of the center panel assembly from the front top portion to theback top portion, and wherein a second seam joins the second leg portionto another side of the center panel assembly contiguously from the fronttop portion to the back top portion; and a waistband, wherein a thirdseam joins the waistband to the first leg component, the second legcomponent, the front top portion of the center panel assembly, and theback top portion of the center panel assembly.
 22. The undergarment ofclaim 21, wherein the center panel assembly comprises the hour-glasslike shape with a narrow portion located in a crotch region of theundergarment.
 23. The undergarment of claim 22, wherein the first legcomponent and the second leg component extend at least one-half inchbelow the crotch region of the center panel assembly and are bothconfigured to end above a mid-thigh region of a wearer of theundergarment.
 24. The undergarment of claim 23, wherein the first legcomponent and the second leg component each comprise a fold of the knitfabric forming a cuff located below the crotch region and configured tobe above the mid-thigh region of the wearer.